1. Field:
This invention is in the field of endless agricultural conveyors for crop harvestors and other equipment in which agricultural produce is moved from one location to another, and is particularly concerned with such conveyors as made up of an endless, longitudinal series of spaced rods secured at their opposite ends to transversely spaced, endless belts.
2. State of the Art:
Endless agricultural conveyors constructed of a series of spaced rods, usually of steel flattened at their ends and secured at such ends to endless belts of reinforced rubber or other elastomeric material for motivation by sprockets operative on such series of rods adjacent to the respective belts and inwardly of the conveyor, are well known and widely used. However, problems have long existed by reason of conveyed crop items being bruised or otherwise damaged by contact with and sometimes by becoming caught in the openings between rods. It is customary to cushion the rods by coating or covering them with rubber, but the sprocket runs at each side are normally left free. Also, in order to protect the crop being conveyed from contact with the stationary, crop-confining walls at opposite sides of the conveyor, shielding strips are often employed. Nonetheless, these expedients have been only indifferently successful.
3. Objective:
In the making of this invention, a primary objective was to protect the conveyed crop from contact and interengagement with the uncoated and uncovered sprocket runs of the conveyor and to provide for quickly and easily attaching protective shields for the conveyor side walls as removable and replaceable accessory equipment.